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Drop of blood pt 1
The story begins with a prologue, depicting the slaughter of several members of the Circle of Nine (eventually revealed to be the Guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth) by the vampire Vorador. The Sarafan (an order devoted to the extinction of vampires) warrior-priest Malek fails to prevent the killings, and is punished by surviving Circle member Mortanius by having his body destroyed and soul bound to a suit of armor for eternity. Kain is introduced as a nobleman in the world of Nosgoth. Murdered by assassins, Kain is offered new life and an opportunity for revenge as a vampire by the necromancer Mortanius. Although Kain quickly kills the assassins, Mortanius convinces Kain that they were mere pawns and that the real perpetrators can be found at the nine Pillars of Nosgoth, which protect Nosgoth from destruction. At the Pillars Kain finds the ghost of Ariel, the former Guardian of the Pillar of Balance. Ariel states the human guardians of the Pillars have become corrupted- which in turn corrupts the Pillars- and only by killing the Guardians and ending the Circle of Nine can the Pillars be restored. Thinking the restoration of the Pillars will also cure his vampiric condition, Kain embarks on his quest, acquiring several new weapons (including the Soul Reaver blade) and magics and killing a number of human and monstrous foes that now wander Nosgoth. After killing several members of the Circle and escaping a disastrous encounter with Malek, Kain is directed by Moebius the Timestreamer to find the powerful but reclusive vampire Vorador. Kain eventually finds Vorador, who warns Kain not to interfere in the affairs of mankind. Kain, however, persists, killing several more members of the Circle and also summoning Vorador to vanquish Malek in a decisive battle. Kain then learns that a being called "Nemesis", once known as William the Just is quickly conquering Nosgoth. After rescuing the daughter of King Otmar, Kain is chosen to lead Otmar's army against the forces of the Nemesis. Otmar's forces, however, are slaughtered, and Kain escapes using a time streaming device to travel fifty years into the past. Kain finds and kills the young King William (thereby preventing him from ever becoming the Nemesis) but creates an altered future in which the murder of William creates the Sarafan order and sparks a genocidal crusade against all vampires. Kain returns to the present and witnesses the execution of Vorador, discovering that he has been manipulated into changing history by Moebius, who is actually one of the Circle. Kain battles and kills Moebius, but is now the last of his kind. Kain returns to the Pillars, where the two remaining guardians, Mortanius and Anacrothe the Alchemist argue over recent events and then battle to the death. Mortanius kills Anarcrothe and is then challenged by Kain. Mortanius transforms into a dark entity that reveals it was the mastermind behind the murder of Ariel and the ruin of the Pillars. After defeating the entity, Kain learns that one final Pillar, the Pillar of Balance, remains and must be restored, and as the Guardian of Balance, only his sacrifice will make this possible. Kain chooses to save himself and the vampire race, allowing the Pillars to fall. Kain justifies his actions by claiming that vampires are gods that exist to rule mortals As the game begins, Raziel approaches Kain's throne and extends newly grown wings. In an act of seeming jealousy, Kain tears the bones from Raziel's wings and has him thrown into the Lake of the Dead, a large natural whirlpool.[[|9]] However, Raziel is resurrected as a wraith by The Elder God to become his "soul reaver" and kill Kain, thus restoring Nosgoth.[[|7]] With The Elder God's guidance, Raziel adapts to his new existence and returns to Nosgoth. Infiltrating a Necropolis inhabited by the Melchiahim vampires, Raziel finds his brother Melchiah, who has devolved into a beast unable to sustain his own flesh.[[|10]] After Raziel kills Melchiah and absorbs his soul, he confronts Kain among the ruined Pillars of Nosgoth in the Sanctuary of the Clans. Amazingly enough, Kain is not surprised to see Raziel, apparently having even been expecting him, and implies that he has destroyed Raziel's vampire clan, which only enrages Raziel even further. When Raziel begins to criticize him, Kain simply launches a tirade against him before noting what has become of the empire and engaging him in combat.[[|11]] Kain quickly overpowers Raziel and attempts to strike him down with the Soul Reaver, a powerful sword that absorbs its victims' souls.[[|12]] However, the Reaver shatters when it strikes Raziel, and Kain escapes, strangely satisfied.[[|13]] Raziel enters the spectral realm to find the blade's soul-devouring spectral form, which binds itself to him.[[|14]] After this, Raziel meets Ariel, who restores his strength, and learns of Zephon's location from The Elder God. Raziel ventures into a large cathedral once inhabited by the humans and finds the Zephonim clan. After ascending into the cathedral's spires, he finds that Zephon is now a large arachnid whose body has merged into the cathedral spire in which he dwells.[[|15]] Raziel kills Zephon and uses the gained power to infiltrate an ancient crypt. There, Raziel discovers coffins for members of the Sarafan, an fanatical order of vampire hunters killed centuries before Kain's rule. To Raziel's horror, he finds the crypt was designated for him and his brothers; as cruel irony, Kain revived the Sarafan to serve him as his vampire sons.[[|16]] Raziel ventures through a secret passage underneath the crypt and finds a flooded abbey inhabited by the Rahabim clan, whose members have mutated into amphibians; its leader, Rahab, has become a merman. Raziel tells Rahab what he has learned about their human pasts, but Rahab is unmoved, claiming that Kain "saved" them, and attacks.[[|17]] Raziel defeats Rahab and absorbs his soul, then crosses the Lake of the Dead to the abandoned fortress of his brother Dumah. The Elder God explains that the Dumahim vampires were scattered following an invasion of human hunters. Raziel eventually finds Dumah shackled to his throne with his heart pierced.[[|18]] Raziel revives Dumah and leads him into a giant furnace, burning him alive and absorbing his soul. Afterward, Raziel discovers the Oracle Caves, where Moebius the Timestreamer once hid the Chronoplast, a magical time machine. Raziel traverses the caves and finds Kain in the Chronoplast's control room. Raziel is angered over what he has learned, and Kain says his actions are justified due to his being subject to destiny,[[|19]] before proceeding to inform Raziel that the Sarafan were far from the noble crusaders that Raziel believes them to be when the latter demands to know why he created him, which Raziel refuses to listen to.[[|20]] Raziel attacks Kain while the latter continues to adjust the Chronoplast's controls. Although Raziel eventually gains an advantage, the Chronoplast activates, and Kain escapes through a time portal, beckoning Raziel to follow. Raziel complies, ignoring warnings from The Elder God. As the game ends, Raziel emerges from the timeslip and is greeted by Moebius the Timestreamer, leading into the events of drop of blood pt 2